A 10-part series celebrating the people and milestones in and around Great Park Neighborhoods as the community celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Sports & Recreation: Where Dreams and Memories Are Made
November 6, 2023
Go the extra mile… it’s never crowded.
It's a philosophy that Jadyn Zdanavage clearly adopted when she began her four-year journey as a standout student-athlete at Portola High School within Great Park Neighborhoods.
With a goal of creating a culture of excellence within Irvine’s newest high school, Zdanavage excelled as a four-sport athlete in cross country, track & field, lacrosse and basketball. She was named a two-time Pacific Coast League cross country champion, a 2022 Pacific Coast League 800-meter champion, a state medalist in 2022 and all-state in 2019 for cross country, and an All-CIF and USA Lacrosse All-American player for two years. Shortly before graduating in June, Zdanavage was named a 2023 Female Athlete of the Year by the OC Athletic Directors Association.
While she is proud of the individual accolades, it was the friendships and personal growth she experienced with her teammates that were most rewarding.
“Athletics created relationships that will last a lifetime”
“Athletics created relationships that will last a lifetime,” Zdanavage said. “I was an only child, so it was so important to have teammates and a group of girls who were there whenever I needed them. I wanted to empower and uplift them as well. The experience (at Portola High) made me a much more resilient, compassionate, and empathetic person.”
Zdanavage, who is currently a freshman at University of Michigan, said the environment at her school and the surrounding Great Park was tremendously helpful in remaining “100 percent locked in” to competition.
Little things such as not having to drive home from practices -- or feeling safe while running outdoors within the Great Park Trails and surrounding Great Park Sports Complex at any time or during any time of the year weather-wise -- freed up more time to commit to workouts, stretching, homework, and friends and family.
It also fueled a belief that she can dream big and realize her dreams, wherever life may take her after college.
“I’ve learned through competition that if you work hard and remain inspired by the right things, anything is possible,” Zdanavage said.
Within Great Park Neighborhoods, there are nine resident parks and numerous sports and recreation clubs that bring the community together and encourage healthy lifestyles. They include a karate club, volleyball club, walking club, table tennis club, swim club at Rise Park, and Great Park Roadrunners.
“FivePoint’s partnership built and funded a nearly 200-acre, multi-sport complex"
Neighborhood Access to World-Class Sports Facilities
As one of the first pieces toward creating a metropolitan park that rivals the best in the nation, FivePoint’s partnership (Heritage Fields El Toro LLC) built and funded a nearly 200-acre, multi-sport complex in the adjacent Great Park as part of its public-private partnership with the City of Irvine.
Completed in September 2018, the $250 million Great Park Sports Complex is home to:
25 tennis courts
including a Championship Tennis Court
7 baseball fields
including a 1,000-seat Championship Baseball Stadium
Championship soccer stadium
with seating for 5,000
6 synthetic-turf soccer fields
6 grass soccer fields
Flex fields for lacrosse, rugby & cricket
5 softball fields
including a 500-seat Championship Baseball Stadium
5 volleyball courts
including a Championship Volleyball Court
4 basketball courts
Children’s playground
near the Great Park Visitor’s Center and Great Park Balloon Sponsored by FivePoint
In December 2018, Great Park Ice opened as a new addition to the Great Park and perfect complement to the sports complex. The 280,000-square-foot facility features four rinks, including three designed to NHL standards, and a fourth to Olympic standards. The ice complex serves as a training facility for the U.S. Figure Skating team, and as a practice facility for Orange County’s professional hockey team, the Anaheim Ducks. Financing for the $110-million project came from the Irvine Ice Foundation—created by Ducks owners Susan and Henry Samueli.
Fun Fact: Irvine has long been home to an array of world-class athletes, including Olympic gold-medal winners such as figure skater Nathan Chen (who trains at Great Park Ice), the Women’s USA Water Polo team (with headquarters in Irvine), softball player Natasha Watley, and swimmers Amanda Beard, Aaron Peirsol, and Jason Lezak.
